When it comes to user research, one question often arises: Can digital twins replace real customers? The answer lies in understanding their differences, strengths, and limitations.

The Case for Digital Twins

Digital twins are powerful tools for rapid, scalable research. Here’s why:

1. 24/7 Availability: Unlike real customers, digital twins are always accessible.

2. Cost Efficiency: No need to pay for recruitment, incentives, or scheduling logistics.

3. Speed: Simulations take minutes, making them ideal for iterative testing.

These advantages make digital twins perfect for exploratory research, early-stage testing, and concept validation.

The Role of Real Customers

Despite their efficiency, digital twins can’t fully replace the nuanced input of real customers:

• Emotion and Intuition: Human testers provide emotional reactions that AI models can only approximate.

• Contextual Feedback: Real customers offer insights influenced by their unique life circumstances.

• Unexpected Discoveries: Humans often highlight issues you may not have anticipated.

Real customers excel in qualitative research, such as usability testing and in-depth interviews.

Complementary, Not Competitive

The ideal approach is to combine digital twins and real customers for comprehensive research:

1. Start with Digital Twins: Use them for quick insights and to test broad concepts.

2. Refine with Real Customers: Validate findings and dive deeper into human nuances.

By leveraging both, businesses can achieve the perfect balance of speed, depth, and cost-efficiency in their research efforts.